Dealing with Racism from Leaders & Members in the Mormon Church - Channel Achenbach Pt. 2 | Ep. 1713

Structural Racism Within the Mormon Church: When Institutional Culture Becomes Personal Harm

When members of a faith community experience racism from both leadership and fellow believers, the damage extends far beyond individual incidents. It becomes embedded in the institutional culture itself, a system where doctrinal arguments are weaponized to justify discrimination, and survivors are expected to endure abuse as spiritual refinement. According to the Mormon Stories Podcast episode featuring Chanel Achenbach, racism within the LDS Church operates through layers of theological justification, social conformity pressure, and institutional silence that trap vulnerable members in cycles of shame and self-doubt.

Understanding how racism functions within Mormonism matters because the church claims to be a welcoming, Christ-centered institution with over 17 million members worldwide. Yet documented testimonies reveal a pattern where Black members, and those in interracial relationships, face systematic marginalization rooted in both historical doctrine and contemporary cultural norms. This is not a peripheral issue of individual prejudice; it speaks to structural problems that official church statements have yet to adequately address.

Historical Context: Doctrine and Its Lingering Shadow

The LDS Church's doctrine on race has a well-documented history. Until 1978, the church officially prohibited Black men from holding the priesthood and denied all Black members access to temple ordinances, the cornerstone of Mormon theology. Church leaders cited various scriptural interpretations, including the "curse of Cain" narrative and theories about pre-mortal choices, to justify racial exclusion.

While the 1978 policy reversal removed the formal ban, the underlying theological infrastructure, the doctrinal explanations that had sustained racial hierarchy for over a century, was never formally repudiated or retracted. This created an environment where racist interpretations remained embedded in scripture study materials, personal journals of church members, and informal family teachings passed down through generations.